Observed Signal · Apr 9, 2026 · Hiring · Source: ExchangeWire · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Clinch Hires IPG Veteran Melvin Stern as VP of Growth
Clinch, an agentic AI platform for omnichannel content orchestration, appointed Melvin Stern as vice president of growth on 9 April 2026 to strengthen its North American commercial team. Stern joins from IPG's MediaBrands Content Studio, where he spent nearly two decades leading performance content practices for clients including the NBA, Amazon, American Express, Ulta Beauty and General Mills. At Clinch he will drive new business across North America and help brands and agencies adopt Clinch’s Flight Control platform as a unified orchestration solution for omnichannel advertising. Clinch executives highlighted Stern’s experience across dynamic creative, audience strategy, omnichannel planning and measurement; Stern will be based in Los Angeles.
A senior commercial hire from a major agency (IPG) signals Clinch’s push to accelerate North American adoption of its agentic AI-driven creative orchestration platform, highlighting continued industry interest in unified creative-to-media solutions and AI-enabled dynamic creative.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Clinch announced Melvin Stern as vice president of growth on 9 April 2026.
- Stern previously worked at IPG's MediaBrands Content Studio for nearly two decades, leading performance content practices for clients such as the NBA, Amazon, American Express, Ulta Beauty and General Mills.
- Stern’s remit at Clinch is to drive new business across North America and help adoption of Clinch’s Flight Control platform as a unified omnichannel orchestration solution.
- At MediaBrands, Stern managed more than 50 simultaneous campaigns and ran an NBA holiday campaign where AI-generated synthetic audiences and dynamically assembled CTV and display assets produced a 23% lift in tune-in rates.
- Taylor West, global head of growth at Clinch, commented on Stern’s appointment and strategic fit.
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